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Faces and Voices was an exhibition held in The John Rylands Library on Deansgate in Manchester City Centre. The exhibition showcased objects such as Roman period papyri and mummy portraits which had been excavated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from the Faiyum area of Egypt, most notably at the site of Hawara by the great Flinders Petrie. Through the exhibit of these objects the exhibition aimed to reconstruct the story of the cultures and people that inhabited Egypt during the Graeco-Roman Period. Hawara Hawara is a cemetery site located at the entrance to the Faiyum oasis in Egypt. Archaeological excavations have revealed graves dating from as early as the Middle Kingdom (2040-1640BC) and the Graeco-Roman Periods (332BC-395AD) which are of course the two periods in Egyptian history when the site and indeed the Faiyum area as a whole was of great royal significance. Most notably, the site is the location of one the pyramids of the 12th dynasty Middle Kingdom monarch, Amenemhat III (the other pyramid of Amenemhat III being located at the site of Dahshur).
Location of Hawara
legendary, Howard Carter. During the excavation seasons of 1889 and 1911, Petrie excavated at the site of Hawara where he investigated the pyramid of Amenemhat III. During these excavations, Petire also began to excavate to the north of the pyramid where he found a vast cemetery dating to the Roman Period. During the 1888/1889 season, Petrie excavated approximately 146 burials which contained elaborately wrapped mummies over the faces of which were placed vivid portraits of the deceased. Today these, portraits are known as the Hawara Mummy Portraits. As well as the portraits, Petrie also discovered papyri which dated to the first and second centuries AD. These papyri contained details of loans, agreements, letters, collection of taxes and even a census. Although the names of the owners of the burials are now lost to us (the mummies did not contain any inscriptions), the papyri have enabled scholars to have a snapshot of what life was like for the people of the Hawara and wider, Faiyum region during the Greco-Roman period of Egypts history. Indeed it is this snapshot of ancient life that the Faces and Voices exhibition wished to share with us.
John Rylands was an extremely generous man, making donations to aid the poor of Italy as well as opening orphanages and homes for aged women. Rylands leisure pursuits included a love of theology and books which led to his long held dream of opening a library. Sadly in 1888, John Rylands died at his home in Longford Hall . As a memorial to her husband, Enriqueta decided to realise her husbands dream and duly purchased the Althorp Library and with the aid of the architect, Basil Champneys
Petries Drawings from his book, Hawara Portfolio: Paintings of the Roman Age (1913)
Papyrus recording a contract for a sale and loan, the contract is written both in dmeotic and greek which was a requirement of the Roman authorities.
Mummy portrait of an unnamed man dating to 6996AD. Mummy Portrait of an unnamed woman dating to 98-117AD. The detail on the portrait is excellent as we are even able to see the colours of her tunic and even her jewellery.
Letters
Letters covering a variety of subjects including personal correspondence, delivery details and even pages from books that were common in Egypt at that time. Papyrus was an extremely important commodity at this time as is reflected by the use of both sides of the papyrus having been used. Here we can see a number of papyri which contain instructions for the delivery of hay on one side and a medical treatise on the reverse (above left) and an employees report to his master concerning an audience with an administrator.
Mummy Portrait of a young man with a moustache. Again the detail on the portrait is excellent right down to his tunic and red clavus on his shoulder.
The Mummy Portrait (left) is of a man with a beard dating to 185195AD whilst the Mummy Portrait (right) is of a lady dating to 138-160BC. Although it is likely that these portraits both originate from Hawara it is by no means certain
Christianity
In the early centuries AD, Egypt, like many other countries became engulfed in the spread of Christianity. By the third century AD, Christianity had become firmly established in Egypt to such a degree that Christians began to start meeting in groups and debating the growth of the religion. One area in particular that was under debate was the role in which women played within the religion. Above can be seen papyri, known as the Gospel of Mary in which the apostles, Peter and Levi argue as to whether the teachings that Jesus gave to a woman disciple, called Mary, should be accepted.
Illustration Credits
Kendal Uk Map of Egypt (http://www.kendalluk.com/egyptmap.htm Pyramid of Amememhat III at Hawara, photo in public domain University College of London, Flinders Petrie (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0709/07091101) University of Manchester, John Rylands http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/bulletin University of Manchester, Enriqueta Rylands http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/bulletin/bulletinoffprints / All other photographs are copyright of James Parr